


Bucky, not James

by waterbird13



Series: Tumblr Fics [121]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bigender bucky, Exploring Gender, Gen, Genderqueer Bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 08:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7750546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waterbird13/pseuds/waterbird13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Part of the reason Bucky likes Bucky and not, say, James, is because Bucky comes with a lot less assumptions about gender.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bucky, not James

**Author's Note:**

> This is another short piece from Tumblr.
> 
> Warnings: It's all about gender, here. Bucky is bigender, they decide.

Part of the reason Bucky likes Bucky and not, say, James, is because Bucky comes with a lot less assumptions about gender.

Sure, there still are assumptions. People use it to mean, “Hey, you! That schmuck of a fella over there!” But at least it’s not _James_.

Bucky doesn’t ever tell anyone this. It doesn’t make any sense. They can’t explain it in any way that makes sense to anyone but them (and back then, there was no such thing as gender-neutral words, no options, not that a person like Bucky knew about, anyways).

After that, HYDRA didn’t care. Perhaps ironically, it was a somewhat freeing experience, at least in regards to this. The Winter Soldier, while undoubtedly thought of and considered male by both HYDRA and their enemies, did not dwell on gender. They didn’t know to do so, which means Bucky’s mind was blessedly free of the concept for seventy years. The trouble, of course, was the mind was also free of everything else.

And then Bucky’s dragged back into the modern world, a real person, not a weapon, not a tool, not an assassin. 

And they…deal with that, with the memories and sorting out what’s real feelings and what’s lingering mementos of torture and complete mind breakdowns.

Gender’s always been a thing, they figure.

It’s actually Sam who catches on first, and directs Bucky to some online reading. He’s subtle about it, like he always is with Bucky, because he knows Bucky doesn’t want a fuss about anything and is much more likely to get it done if it’s done quietly.

There are more than two genders. Who would’ve known.

So Bucky reads and reads and decides, hey, you know what, this bigender thing sounds pretty okay to them, because sometimes, sure they’re probably a guy, feel close enough to Steve and the others in that way, feel like they connect like that. Other times, gender doesn’t just seem to click, seems like words others use without meaning, and Bucky figures, that’s probably this agender thing.

It’s possible to have no gender at all.

Soon enough word gets around the Avengers and they’re checking for Bucky’s pronouns, and it takes some thinking but Bucky chooses, mostly for convenience, because it’s always right enough and no one’s going to forget it. And everyone, _everyone_  does their absolute, total best to get it right.

And, it turns out, is willing to throw complete fits when someone else gets it wrong. If the media misgenders Bucky, Tony is going after them and Steve is giving disappointed looks and lectures on personal respect. Villains misgender them too sometimes, and Barton always makes sure to fire a couple extra, unnecessary shots.

Steve and they talk about the future versus the past a lot. Their friends are gone. Their apartment building is so much dust buried under concrete. The fucking Dodgers are in fucking California, and it costs four bucks for a lousy loaf of bread.

But, even with all the damn haters, there’s still a place for Bucky to articulate these feelings they’ve had stuck inside for nearly ninety years. And have people–at the very least the people they care about most–respect them.

So yeah. It’s definitely not all bad.


End file.
